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tv   Politics Nation  MSNBC  January 8, 2013 3:00pm-4:00pm PST

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how. and were there so many euphemisms used about horsing around it was hard to grasp what happened in the locker room. what needs to be established by penn state and what is being done to penn state is to say rape is not another cost factor in maintaining a bigtime football program. hiding hell is not tolerable in a win/loss record. it's not about keeping the state upbeat. it's about being truly and genuinely proud of what you're doing with football. it's about having a tradition of excellence. penn state can't reach that goal by exonerating what happened in happy valley when this shouldn't happen anywhere. penn state is a great school. it's a truly great university today and will be tomorrow if it will face up to what happened, takes the punishment and makes the best of a bad situation. anyone else otherwise is not a
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friend of penn state. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. thanks, chris. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead, republicans get ready to crumble. for weeks they've been threatening to shut down the government and drive us into default, threatening to hold the economy hostage by demanding massive cuts to the safety net. the ransom? an ax to medicare, medicaid, and social security. they want to shred and destroy programs americans need to survive. but the president is standing up to the bullies. and he's already winning. he's already winning this fight just like he won the election. just like he won the debate over raising taxes on the rich. and the american people are behind him. a new poll shows 52% approve of the president's handling of the
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fiscal cliff deal that raised taxes on the wealthy just 31% support speaker boehner. 57% say president obama got more of what he wanted. just 20% say that about the gop. republicans may not be good at a lot of things, but i do think they can read the poll numbers. they know their approach isn't working which is why gop leaders have begun to waffle on the party's threat not to raise the debt limit. >> we have to use whatever leverage we have. and there are some examples of leverage can coming along. the debt ceiling is one of them. that hopefully would get the president engaged. >> hopefully? whatever leverage we have? doesn't sound like a guy who's confident to me. and john boehner's in the same tight spot. the wall street journal says that boehner thinks that that bill is just one point of
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leverage. he says he hedges by noting that it is not the ultimate leverage. when a politician talks like that, you know he has a weak hand. right now they're trying to bluff the president and bluff the american people. but it won't work. voters are behind president obama and his message. joining me now is jared bernstein, former chief economist for vice president biden. now an msnbc contributor. and joan walsh editor at large for salon.com and an msnbc political analyst. she just wrote an article about the president's role in protecting the great society built by lbj. thank you both for joining me. >> thank you, rev. >> thanks. >> joan, president obama has been firm from the start on this. where do you think the republican leadership is today? >> i think you're right, reverend al. there are signs that they are starting to crumble and, you know, jared and i, we've all
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talked several times about what it means when the president is having to play chicken with people who are crazy and are willing to default on our debts. and that was a situation he was in in 2011. and it was very painful. and as the adults in the room and the responsible person, he did not want to be responsible for -- or even partly responsible. he never was responsible. for throwing us into default. now it's a different situation where you do hear john boehner and mitch mcconnell. mcconnell wouldn't take the debt ceiling off the table, but he wouldn't commit to doing it. and when you have boehner saying it's a better point of leverage with sequester, he's politically wrong about that. sequester is terrible, terrible program cuts. but it's a lot less horrible than the debt ceiling. so any time you're thinking that you have to bargain over that, you are bargain around that and the president can stand firmer on that than he could, i think, on the debt ceiling crisis. so i think his strategy of saying i'm not going to negotiate with you on that is paying off.
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>> now, jared, it was interesting to me when newt gingrich who did close government in the '90s, newt gingrich predicted that the republicans were in on this. watch this. >> everybody's now talking here comes the debt ceiling. i think that's frankly a dead loser. because in the end you know it's going to happen. the whole financial system is going to say this will be a gigantic problem. you can't be responsible. and they'll cave. >> when you have newt gingrich saying they'll cave. and newt gingrich did this, i mean, you really have to question how the republicans even took this long to start equivocating on what they're going to do. >> i think everything that you've played so far and joan's comments are convincing that the leadership is wavering. and when politicians begin to
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waver, that usually means they're not holding as firm as they suggest. but i will say this. there's not one monolithic republican out there. there's really two. there's the leadership that's been shown when pushed against the wall particularly by some of their financial sponsors, if you will, to compromise. and then there's this base of radicals who i think probably would default if they believed it gave them the leverage to start hacking away at things like the social safety net or the social insurance programs. remember, these are folks whose goal is to very aggressively redistribute income upward. they're the ones who wouldn't vote for a tax increase on people above a million dollars. yet we're happy in the paul ryan budget to cut trillions of dollars out of the safety net and social insurance. so if the leadership is willing to compromise to maybe take a vote that uses a lot of democrats to get over this deadline, then i could see us coming out of it in a much better place. let's not forget about the
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renegades as well. >> now, joan, isn't that really the problem that the leadership may do what is more politically sensible and they may not be in charge as we have seen in the last several confrontations where boehner would try to make a move that at least appeared more rational, not rational but appeared that way. and he couldn't even get that done because of as jared talks about the radicals that he has in his own caucus. >> oh, yeah. jared's absolutely right. we shouldn't act like this danger is passed. because, you know, john boehner can't do whatever he wants. he lives in fear of his far right. he sacrificed a lot to get a solution to the fiscal cliff problem. clearly that vote, reverend al, did show us that there is a potential. there are numbers in the house if you use most democrats to do sensible things. and the question is always can the speaker bring around -- could he bring 85 people back to
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the table the way he did on the fiscal cliff vote to vote with nancy pelosi and move us forward? i don't know that he can. but it is significant when you've got boehner and you've got mitch mcconnell and even newt gingrich saying the debt ceiling is a loser. because it is. it's a loser for the economy and for them politically. >> because the point is you wrote yourself, the gop can't be trusted on the safety net in sa lon.com. let me read your words to jared and get his reaction. you need a partner to negotiate smart changes and today's republicans aren't trying to fix the two programs. many are trying to kill it, turn medicare into voucher care and privatize social security. >> you know, the republicans have two goals when it comes to fiscal policy. one is to insulate their wealthy donor class from any tax increases and the other is to cut away at the functions of
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government that protect economically vulnerable people. particularly the social insurance programs. and one of the things they've done and it's been quite machiavellian is to create crises where none exist in order to convince people that the only way forward is deep austerity. we can't afford social insurance. we can't afford safety net. we can't afford big tax cuts for the wealthiest. and it's very important to block those kinds of ideas. >> joan, because of these kinds of things, they've really lost a lot of trust and faith and popularity with the public. for example, a poll that has come out finds that congress -- listen to this, joan -- is less popular than root canals, replacement refs, cockroaches, and donald trump. but be of good cheer.
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they are a little more popular than lobbyists, north korea, and the kardashians. >> and you're not going to go for gonorrhea. they're more popular than gonorrhea. you've got to give them their due. but that sounds pretty right to me. and they've got to be looking at that. that says congress which includes some democrats, but it really is about the face of the congress. john boehner. and about the crazy tea party people. so that is on the president's side. i would add to what jared said. the third goal of the republicans is privatizing these programs and putting that money back in the hands of the insurance companies in the case of medicare and investment companies in the case of social security. so they really have three goals here. and they play us all against each other to get those goals accomplished for their wealthy benefactors. but i'm thinking it may not work this time. >> we'll stay tuned to watch this one. thank you b both for your time tonight. >> you're welcome.
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>> thanks, reverend al. ahead, president obama charges into his second term with a big agenda and surging confidence. so what can he get done? and we have a big announcement about his inauguration plans. plus politicians who do unpopular things become unpopular. but speaker boehner is hitting records in this department. wait until you hear just how low boehner can go. the american people have a surprise for him. taking control on the two-year anniversary of gabby giffords' shooting, there's important news about a meeting vice president biden is having with the head of the national rifle association. i hope they're starting to get the message that we need change. you're watching "politicsnation" on msnbc. ♪
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have you joined the "politicsnation" conversation on facebook yet? we hope you will. today folks were cheering on the announcement of gabby giffords new group launched to counter big money of the gun lobby. kelly says this is exactly what is needed. fight money with bigger money. joyce says it takes one person to start something, and gabby is the right person. laura says i'm right there with you, gabby. let's do this. we've got more on the gun control fight ahead including details on a meeting vice president biden is having with the nra chief. we want to hear what you think
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too. please head over to facebook and search "politicsnation" and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. ♪ you know my heart burns for you... ♪ i'm up next, but now i'm singing the heartburn blues. hold on, prilosec isn't for fast relief. cue up alka-seltzer. it stops heartburn fast. ♪ oh what a relief it is! [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it... in your heart.
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[ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. great taste. mmm... [ male announcer ] sounds good. it's amazing what soup can do. republicans have a big problem. they've been hijacked by the extreme wing of their party. the gop needs real leaders to stand up to these radical tea party conservatives. unfortunately john boehner and mitch mcconnell aren't up to the challenge. but don't worry, republicans, we have just the thing you need.
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welcome to the "politicsnation" guide to lineup. yes, speaker boehner, this one's for you. our comprehensive guide will guide you all the tools you need to deal with your mean right wing. lesson one. don't be afraid to stand up to bullies. after all, he's working for the president. >> i will not have another debate with this congress over whether or not they should pay the bills that they have already racked up through the laws that they passed. let me repeat. we can't not pay bills that we've already incurred. >> lesson two. some things are bigger than politics. it's not always about keeping score. >> we as a state have waited 72 days, seven times longer than the victims of hurricane katrina
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waited. and one thing i hope everyone in america now clearly understands, new jersey both republicans and democrats will never stand silent when our citizens are being shortchanged. >> and if the right wingers still don't get it, force them to spend some quality time with "the daily show." >> house republicans somehow neglected to vote for $60 billion in hurricane aid. a move so redonkulous their own members were going after them. this is a simple down the middle, warm cup of what would jesus or any other human being that isn't an [ bleep ] hole do. and you blew it. you blew it.
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>> this isn't us versus them. it's about everyone working together. the gop must get its act together. it's what's best for their party and for the country. joining me now is david corn for mother jones and an msnbc political analyst. and jack key kucinich, national reporter for usa today. thanks to both of you for joining me. >> sure thing. >> david, let me start with you. does john boehner have the will or the way to rein in these tea party radicals? >> first my question is to you, reverend. why are you trying to help him? >> well, i think it's for the good of the country. you know, it's pitiful to have a fight that nobody's really there to fight on the other side. they're in their own corner fighting each other. >> it's noble of you. and the answer to your question is no in the sense that we've seen this going on for a year
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and a half. john boehner does not have control of his own caucus. he couldn't convince his fellow leaders that eric cantor and mccarthy to vote with him on the tax cut deal on new year's. so it's weak leadership and a very strong -- headstrong cau caucus. you've got 40, 50, 60 guys and gals in the tea party in the house. they don't want to take the debt ceiling hostage. they want the destruction. it's like 60 jokers from the batman movie in there. and with that dynamic unless he's willing to do again and again and again after what happened a week and a half ago and let nancy pelosi bring more to the table while he brings the noncrazy to the table which might be a minority, we're in for a lot of trouble. he and newt gingrich and others say they shouldn't blow up the nation over the debt ceiling. i don't know if he can control that, and if he doesn't do that,
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i think he's still heading straight to a cliff with the government shutdown. >> that's going to be the question. can he control them. jack jackie, i mean, what baffles me is how this party, the tea party types, who've lost so much of their traction and their popularity still can wield this kind of influence over speaker boehner. when you look at the fact that membership is in single digits. member of the tea party 2010, 24% said yes. now only 8%. if you look at the tea party's popularity, at a record low. favorable views of the tea party in 2009. it was 51%. today it's only 30%. and even new jersey governor chris christie who has an approval rating of 73% has what is working with president obama through the hurricane openly
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defied them and he seemingly only got stronger because of it. >> well, right. i mean, it's true that their poll numbers have diminished. we're also coming off an election where there wasn't a tea party candidate in the driver's seat. so there wasn't that fueling you saw even with sarah palin and with the midterm elections. so there's that. the other thing is, i mean what we were talking about before, the democrats had a lot of trouble when they were in charge. the climate change bill died in the senate because they didn't have the votes. that's when democrats had both houses. so really it -- leading is hard. being in charge is hard. and we're seeing it right now with the republican party. there's a lot of fractures. when you look at the abc/washington post poll today. 40-odd percent didn't approve at the end of this day.
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we're looking at a divided party. it's going to be a tough road for boehner going forward. i also wouldn't count him out. he's gone through a lot with this party before. you never know. >> you did have a tea party candidate at the top of the ticket per se. >> per se? mitt romney was not a tea party candidate. >> let me finish my point. major tea party candidates lost. allen west. senate candidates, those that were very much identified as tea party candidates went down. whereas in 2010 they surged. they lost very key players in this last election. >> well, i mean, tea party lost seats -- lost candidates in the last election too. i mean, it's not just this year. sharon engel comes to mind in colorado. so it's not necessarily the past year. but there are also -- but you had ted cruise as well. hee won. so there's both sides of this. >> it's also quite clear that
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after the 2010 loss, the president set out to change the political narrative. the one that had been so successful for the republicans and the tea party in the midterm elections. and he largely succeeded in doing that while pushing progressive values and attacking mitt romney. and also attacking the essence of the tea party ideology. whether it was what they wanted to do with medicare or taxes. and he's kind of won the argument overall. now, it's not a 70/30 split. he won the election by, you know, by four or five points, whatever it was. so it's still a country that's narrowly divided somewhat on these big issues. he has the impetus. the tea party has caused an operational split if not an ideological split. john boehner to date has not shown himself to be crafty enough to deal with that very difficult situation. >> and i think also, jackie, on some things that are really beyond what some people would
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say -- think i among them is beyond politics. like when you look at getting relief for hurricane sandy areas. on this station over the weekend congressman frank falone blamed the tea party for slowing it down. listen to this. >> the tea party people are mostly from the south and the west. and if this had been louisiana or kansas, they wouldn't have held this up. >> now, when you look at that, look at mississippi congressman steve palaso. he pushed for storm relief in his area after hurricane katrina and isaac. he voted no for sandy relief because quote, we have a financial disaster looming in the country that i believe personally in my heart is going to be greater than any natural
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disaster that has ever hit us. now, today the paper ripped into palazzo. his hometown paper. for his vote against sandy relief. quote, seldom has a single vote in congress appeared as cold-blooded and hard headed as the one cast by representative steven palazzo last week. that he would rather make a philosophical point rather than help put back together communities. as he himself once put it is both shameful and offensive. this is an example of this kind of tea party ideology that just seems that people are not as important as the ideology even when they didn't feel that way under different circumstances, jackie. >> again, like we talked about the divide in the republican party, we saw a lot of east coast -- the republicans whose districts were effected by that really get very upset about
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that. >> peter king and others, yeah. >> exactly. i think this just illustrates the divide within the republican party. >> that bolsters my point that they are losing steam, but they seem to be able to check mr. boehner. >> and don't forget. the one reason they've been able to maintain the majority and the tea party people maintain their hold within the party is after redistricting, a lot are jer gerrymandered from the right. and that makes it very hard. particularly if boehner doesn't have the ability to give earmarks anymore. to have -- and this sort of interparty discipline. and boehner doesn't have the powers of persuasion it seems to win over his fellow leaders. >> the persuasion is not one thing we accuse mr. boehner of. >> not yet. >> david and jackie, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. still ahead, a new team and
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a new vision for president obama's second term. big news on the president's inauguration today. but first, joe biden is facing off against the nra. it's a showdown over gun control. and the vice president is getting a big assist from gabby giffords. you're watching "politicsnation" right here on msnbc. ♪ people have doubts about taking aspirin for pain.
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the election and re-election of president obama have been historic moment for america. moments that happen because of the struggle and sacrifices of others. today there's a big surprise about that legacy, and it will be a big moment at the inauguration in just a couple of weeks. that's ahead. .. ♪ into a scooter that talks to the cloud? ♪ or turn 30-million artifacts... ♪ into a high-tech masterpiece? ♪ whatever your business challenge, dell has the technology and services to help you solve it.
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when i'm out with my kids, my daughter's like, "mom, wait up!" and i'm thinking, "shouldn't you have more energy than me? you're, like, eight!" [ male announcer ] for every 2 pounds you lose through diet and exercise alli can help you lose one more by blocking some of the fat you eat. simple. effective. advantage: mom. let's fight fat with alli. learn more, lose more at letsfightfat.com. today in arizona a solemn reminder about the gun tragedy that happened in tucson on this day two years ago. a gunman opening fire on a crowd at a tucson shopping center at a congress on your corner event.
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six people were killed including a 9-year-old girl. 13 others were injured. one of the victims was the host of the event, congresswoman gabby giffords. she was shot in the head at close range and rushed to the hospital. miraculously she survived. her incredible comeback story has been an inspiration to many across america. since that terrible day despite national outrage and calls for gun control reform, nothing has happened. there were many other shootings including the outrageous murders in the city of chicago. but it took another mass shooting tragedy, a rampage in newtown, connecticut, that killed 20 children for a real movement for change to begin to take hold. this time there's momentum behind the outrage. the big news today, vice president biden who is in charge of a task force on gun control will be meeting with the
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national rifle association on thursday. this is big. there have been 11 mass shootings since the tragedy in tucson two years ago today. and there are killings daily all over the country. chicago is the worst situation in our cities. the question is will this time be different? joining me now is pam simon, gabby giffords' congressional aide who was shot in the chest during the tucson shooting. thank you both for your time. >> thank you. >> pam, you were working for congresswoman giffords. you were shot yourself two years ago today. today how do you feel two years later? >> two years later the emotional healing is beginning to happen i think for myself as well as the other survivors. the physical wounds have healed.
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but i'm outraged. i'm outraged it's been two years and congress has done absolutely nothing to make any changes in the gun violence in our country. >> now, here you had congresswoman giffords you worked for and both of you wounded that day and she's a member of congress. yet it didn't make her fellow congress persons, colleagues, move forward. that's got to be disheartening for you who now you're an advocate in this matter of gun control. i mean, did it have to take all of this, for children, to start moving the colleagues? >> you know, that question's been asked over and over and over. and it's of course an unmitigated tragedy what happened in connecticut. the problem is we cannot let this conversation drop. finally at least people are beginning to talk about this and some movement is happening.
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i am so excited that president biden and the commission will be talking to nra leadership. because until we start coming together, we are never going to find a solution. and i believe that this time perhaps we have the momentum. certainly i know that the average citizen is behind it. i'm sure you've seen the polls that 84% of gun owners believed that all guns should go through a background check. that is absolutely only common sense. i was a teacher of middle school and high school for over 20 years. and i can see how firearms and gun violence can cause such havoc in young lives. especially the 33 on average a day that are killed are usually young and usually people of color and usually poor. and this is an outrage. this needs to change. >> clarence, on that note
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because she's absolutely right about the proportion of people of color and poor that are being shot and killed, chicago police department records that there are 506 deaths in 2012 in chicago. 16% increase from the year before. a total of 11 people have been killed in gun violence in chicago this year. this is an epidemic. the problem isn't just guns, clarence. >> i'm glad you used the word epidemic, reverend, because i think that's important. i used that as a theme for my column tomorrow. i think we have a mistake when we use military language, a war on crime or guns. things have changed. i know you remember as well as me the days of the supergangs in chicago. vice lords, latin kings. today those gangs have been broken up a lot like tony
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sparano's mafia. the federal rico laws and all that. but what we've got is hundreds of small cliques. just gangs hanging out on the corner. they're not organized. but there's lots of guns out there. we've had a lot of changes with chicago's population particularly with the tearing down of the high-rise developments. thousands of families have been moved into the very neighborhoods where almost all of this violence is taking place. and it's important to note that these are a few neighborhoods where most of the violence is taking place. the rest of the city people are going about their lives, and they only see it in the media. that's why we've got to break the cycle of violence. getting some gun safety would be number one. but the illinois legislature today went into lame duck session without taking any action on the gun measures that the mayor own governor of chicago have both been pushing for.
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>> now, you've seen us get to this moment before. do you think when you see biden meeting with the nra, you heard pam speaking so hopefully about it, do you think there will be some difference this time, clarence? >> it's a real scandal that it took the killing of school children five, six, seven years old in order to get people to move. but this is an important moment. absolutely right about that. that there is an impetus out there. we're starting to see some action and a push. that's a question of whether they'll keep the momentum going. the nra membership is mostly gun owners but the money is mostly from the gun industry. >> there lies the question. that's the question. pam, let me ask you this quickly. when you see the washington post reporting that this task force is coming back, they will be proposing things like universal background checks which you
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mentioned for gun violence. national weapons tracking data base, stronger mental health clinics, tougher penalties for people who bring guns close to school, and tougher penalties for giving them to minors. is this a step in the right direction? >> it's a step in the right direction. it's so common sense you figure why haven't we done it before? there are many more steps to go through to own and license a car than a gun. so obviously this is the right step. i am working with survivors across the country on an online petition on demand a plan.org. we've been working with mayors against illegal guns. and we have almost 900,000 people have signed on. and what we want to do is give the -- a political will to the members of congress to know that there are a lot of folks out there that want to see change. and we need to start with these common sense things. let's just start with having
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every gun go through a background check. compare that to getting on a plane. would you get on the plane where half the people had not gone through metal deducters? >> no. not at all. >> of course not. i encourage people to go to demand a plan.org, sign on, and help us move congress in the direction they need to move. >> i'm going to have to leave it there. demand a plan.org. clarence page, thank you. and pam simon, thank you for joining us. and our hearts and prayers are with you and the others for their continued recovery. >> thank you very much, reverend sharpton. >> thank you, reverend. coming up, president obama's big plans for his second inauguration and his second term. he's putting a very personal stamp on his team. this is "politicsnation" only on msnbc. ♪
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in less than two weeks, roberts will swear in president obama for his second term in office. as many as 800,000 visitors will be in washington for the inauguration. and crews are hard at work for the inaugural platform outside the capitol. it's a big day and the president set a big agenda to match it. he plans to tackle immigration, gun control, climate change, and tax reform in his second term. and with four years in office under his belt, this president knows what he wants and he's confident he'll get it. joining me now is democratic strategist margie omero and victoria defrancesco soto, a fellow at the university of texas and an msnbc contributor. thank you both for joining me tonight. >> thanks, rev. >> victoria, how does the president keep the momentum from his re-election going into the second term? >> he keeps the momentum going
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by focusing on the big picture and in particular the big global picture. so we know that in 2012 and 2008 he got elected to foresee change. and in particular change from the bush era policies of involvement in the middle east. we saw that that he's building his dream team. bringing on hagel and kerry to make good on that promise that he put forward in 2008 to scale down the u.s. involvement. the american public wants it, and he's going to deliver in the second term. >> margie, what is interesting about the two appointments that victoria just mentioned, hagel and brennan are both people the president has worked with. he seems to trust the allies. not the same in the lincoln term of rivals. these are not rivals. these people are close to the president. change in strategy here? >> no, i don't think so.
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i think the president has had people who have different points of view from himself and from each other. we saw that in the case with secretary gates and vice president biden who recommended against making the call on osama bin laden. but the president made it anywhere. i also think it's important to look at how the president keeps momentum of bringing everyone together. in style of bringing everyone together in his administration and across the aisle and voters. i mean, voters -- they selected obama, they voted for obama in 2008. they believed in him and they believed in change. and this last time around in the policies and vision they had going forward. >> that's the point, victoria. that they believe in what he's doing and believe in him going forward. 57% say he won the fiscal cliff fight. in the last century only four presidents have won two elections with more than 50% of
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the vote. president obama, reagan, eisenhower, and president franklin roosevelt. the question is can he use this momentum, can he use this support to get his agenda done. that's his challenge. >> and the challenge is getting it done within the next two years. we don't know what's going to happen. we don't know if there's going to be another republican surge, so the president has to get that list of foreign policy demands, the list of immigration, and the list of gun control done in the next 18 months. not even two years. and i think immigration is going to be another one of the big issues. gun control. but one caution i have with gun control is gun control is also very much controlled at the state level. so while we may see an assault weapons ban, at the end of the day, it's the capitals that oversees what happens with guns. >> margie, when you look at second terms, it's generally
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pretty hard to get things done, but it can happen. ronald reagan dealt with tax reform. bill clinton balanced the budget. george bush tried to privatize social security, wasn't successful. some of us are glad about it. so it's a tricky thing. you can get things done in the second term, but it also is difficult. >> yeah. i think the president is in a good position. he has -- right now he has 53% approval rating. boehner handled the fiscal cliff negotiations incredibly low ratings for congress. you have about 3/4 of the electorate who say politics right now is doing some serious harm. while at the same time they give the president strong ratings. so they're really taking aim at congress. and i think all of that leads to a situation where voters have really had it now with congress. and they want to see everyone come to the table. and that gives the president a real edge.
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>> you know, victoria, let me ask you this quickly. that we've seen after four years in office that this president, we see more and more of him as a person. one that sticks out is his emotional speech to his team after his win. watch this. >> what you guys have done, i'm really proud of that. i'm really proud of all of you. and -- >> we're seeing the emotions that we didn't see before as we go into the second term, victoria. >> you know, and as voters, we act with both our hearts and our minds. and i think what obama does is he puts forward that combination that you can agree with his policies. you see the vision. but behind that ideological vision is a person, is someone who has empathy for those of us
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not in leadership positions. >> victoria defrancesco soto and margie omero, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> thank you. ahead, civil rights activist medgar evans was gunned down. but today big news about a special honor from president obama. that's next. my wife takes centrum silver. i've been on the fence about it.
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plus has a fast acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. [ sighs ] thanks! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! ♪ [ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth and save $1 visit alka-seltzer on facebook. [ bop ] [ bop ] [ bop ] you can do that all you want, i don't like v8 juice. [ male announcer ] how about v8 v-fusion. a full serving of vegetables, a full serving of fruit. but what you taste is the fruit. so even you... could've had a v8. toward justice takes a big step forward today. at the heart of barack obama's presidency is a commitment to civil rights. he often quotes dr. martin luther king's iconic phrase. the arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice. news today about medgar evers
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proves that point. evers emerged as a premiere fighter against segregation at the university of mississippi in the '50s and '60s. he was the naacp's first field secretary for the state of mississippi. a tireless fighter for equality and a father to a daughter and a son. in 1963, a water shed year for civil rights and the civil rights movement, president kennedy delivered his famous civil rights speech from the oval office. but just hours later on june 12th, 1963, medgar evers was assassinated in the driveway of his own home in jackson, mississippi, by a white supremacist. today we learned that legacy continues to live on and in a powerful way. evers' widow a civil rights force in her own right, will deliver the invocation at the swearing in ceremony for president obama. the president said

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